Gracious Savior, Gentle Shepherd in Tonic Solfa
Gracious Savior, Gentle Shepherd in Tonic Solfa to MANNHEIM, doh is E: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 5 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dGra--mcious-sSa--svior,- | lgen--stle-fShep--mherd,- |
| mChild--fren-sall-dare- | mdear-rto-dThee;--- |
| sGa--sthered-lwith-sThine- | taarms-land-lcar--sried- |
| sIn-rThy-mbo--lsom- | smay-fethey-sbe;--- |
| dSweet--mly,-sfond--sly,- | lsafe--sly-ftend--med,- |
| mFrom-fall-swant-dand- | mdan--rger-dfree.--- |
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- Key
- E major
- Doh
- E
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (E)
- Range
- d to ta (E to C𝄪, a seventh)
- Tune
- MANNHEIM
- Words
- Jane Eliza Leeson
- Music
- Friedrich Filitz
Tune MANNHEIM by Friedrich Filitz (1804–1876); words by Jane Eliza Leeson (1809–1881). Sources and licences.
The solfa line by line
The same solfa as plain text, a line of the hymn at a time, with the words of the first verse under it — easy to copy into your own notes or a message to the choir. To print it, download the solfa as a PDF.
Doh is E · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in E major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Gracious Savior, gentle Shepherd,
Children all are dear to Thee;
Gathered with Thine arms and carried
In Thy bosom may they be;
Sweetly, fondly, safely tended,
From all want and danger free.
Tender Shepherd, never leave them
From Thy fold to go astray;
By Thy warning love directed,
May they walk the narrow way!
Thus direct them, thus defend them,
Lest they fall an easy prey.
Cleanse their hearts from sinful folly
In the stream Thy love supplied,
Mingled stream of blood and water
Flowing from Thy wounded side;
And to heavenly pastures lead them,
Where Thine own still waters glide.
Let Thy holy Word instruct them;
Fill their minds with heavenly light;
Let Thy powerful grace constrain them
To approve whate’er is right;
Let them feel Thy yoke is easy,
Let them prove Thy burden light.
Taught to lisp Thy holy praises
Which on earth Thy children sing,
Both with lips and hearts, unfeignèd,
Glad thank-offerings may they bring;
Then with all the saints in glory
Join to praise their Lord and King.
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum E and sing d r m f s up from it, so the whole choir has the key in their ears before you start.
- Pitch the first note. The tune starts on d (E).
- Count the time. 4/4 means four crotchet beats in each bar. In the grid every cell is half a crotchet: a dash (–) holds the note before it, and _ is a rest.
- Know the notes. The tune uses d r m f s l and the chromatic ta fe. A comma after a note (s,) is the octave below; an apostrophe (d') is the octave above.
New to solfa? Read how to read Tonic Solfa and how to find the doh of a song.
About the hymn
Jane Eliza Leeson wrote these words. They were printed in the Evangelical Lutheran Hymn-Book (St. Louis, 1927), as hymn 447.
The book printed the words without tunes, marked Eights and Sevens, six lines (8.7.8.7.8.7), to be sung to any tune of that metre. This page sets them to MANNHEIM; any other Eights and Sevens, six lines tune fits them as well.
- Words: Jane Eliza Leeson (1809–1881)
- Music (1847): Friedrich Filitz (1804–1876)
Tune MANNHEIM by Friedrich Filitz (1804–1876); words by Jane Eliza Leeson (1809–1881).
Sung to the same tune: Alleluia, Hymn of Sweetness, Lead Us, Heavenly Father, Lead Us, Terror Grim the Soul Oppresses, Thirty Years by God Appointed.
Questions about Gracious Savior, Gentle Shepherd
What is the doh of Gracious Savior, Gentle Shepherd?
In this version, in E major, doh is E. If your choir sings it in another key, doh moves to the new key note and every solfa syllable stays the same — that is what movable doh means.
What note does Gracious Savior, Gentle Shepherd start on?
It starts on d (E in E major). Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is Gracious Savior, Gentle Shepherd in the public domain?
Yes. Jane Eliza Leeson died in 1881, Friedrich Filitz died in 1876; the words were in print by 1927 and the music in 1847. Everyone named died before 1955 and both were published before 1929, so the hymn is out of copyright in the UK, the EU, the United States and Nigeria. Modern arrangements and translations can still be under copyright.